Railroad track cleaner



April 24,1945. 5 TAC E T 2,374,312

' RAILROAD TRACK CLEANER Filed Feb. 25, 1944 Patented Apr. 24, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- 2,374,312 RAILROAD TRACK CLEANER Elijah Tackett, High Splint, Ky.

Application February 25, 1944, Serial No. 523,880

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a plow especially adapted for cleaning railroad tracks in and about mines of materials which accumulate thereon within a very short period of time and render the tracks hazardous and sometimes impossible for rolling stock.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an efficient and economically constructed device of the above stated character which may be moved over tracks by being coupled to any type of motive power and which will remove excessive materials from between the rails as well as from the rails per se and deposit the materials to each side of the tracks and includes means for riding the rails of the tracks as well as means for varying the depth of action on the materials.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as .the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanyin drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, illustrating a track cleaner constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation illustrating the device.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates a draft beam and 6 a frame secured to the beam a limited distance forwardly of the rear end of the beam and underlying the latter. The beam is constructed of T iron material and has secured thereon for vertical adjustment a clevis l at the front end thereof. The clevis includes openings 8 to receive a coupling pin (not shown). Also the clevis includes a threaded stem 9 which threads through a bracket Hi secured to the forward end of the draft bar. The stem 9 is journaled in upper and lower portions of the clevis and has secured to its upper end a finger piece H for the convenient rotation thereof for the purpose of adjusting the clevis vertically with respect to the draft beam.

Supported by the frame 5 is a plow share 12 of substantially V-shaped formation having its apex disposed forwardly. The plow share is tapered to present cutting or sharp edges IS. A mold board I4 is detachably secured to the plow share and is of substantially V shape with the ends thereof protruding beyond the ends of the plow share and has secured thereto runners l5 adapted to ride upon the rails of a track, the forward ends of the runners being curved upwardly. The runners I5 are provided with depending lips or flanges IE to engage with the sides of the rails of the track.

The frame 6 is secured to the mold board by a series of diagonally extending braces H. A brace l8 connects the frame 6 with the plow share I2 at the apex of the latter. The brace I8 may be removably'secured either to the frame 6 or the plow share.

The frame 6 is equipped with journals I9 for rotatably supporting an axle 20 transversely of the frame. The axle 29 includes crank shaped end portions 2| on which are journaled car type wheels 22 that may be moved into and out of engagement with the rails by the rotation of the axle in its journals. A hand lever 23 is secured to the axle and has a removable pin 24 to engage in any one of a series of openings 25 provided in a plate 26 secured to the frame 6. The hand lever provides a convenient means of rotating the axle and as it may be secured in several positions it will permit a person to readily raise or lower the depth of action of the plow share on materials between the rails of the track when the wheels 22 are in engagement with the rails.

It will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, that the device may be moved along the rails of the track by being coupled to some type of motive power either with the device being supported on the rails by the runners or the car wheels 22 and that the plow share with its mold board will efficiently remove materials from between the rails and deliver the materials laterally of the track and at each side thereof.

By referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the mold board is cut away at its apex to receive the draft beam with the remaining portions of the mold board extending above the beam. The device moving over the rails as stated and regulated as to its depth of action on the materials, will prevent the device from disturbing ballast material or the bed of the track and still permit excessive or surplus material to be easily removed from the track and deposited laterally of the rails of the track.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a track cleaner, a frame, means for supporting the frame on rails of a track and capable of adjusting the elevation of the frame relative to the rails, a draft beam secured to the frame and extending forwardly thereof and including means for the coupling thereof to a draft medium, a substantially V-shaped plow share and a mold board of a corresponding shape secured thereto and underlying the draft beam and arranged forwardly of the frame, means connecting the frame to the plow share and mold board, the ends of the plow share terminating short of the distance between the rails and the ends of the mold board extending beyond the ends of the plow share and overlying the rails, and runners carried by the lower edge of said ends of the mold board to engage with the rails when said first means is disengaged from the rails and including upturned forward ends and depending lips to engage the sides of the rails. ELIJAH TACKE'I'I'. 

